TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES
by Always Expect the Unexpected
Summary: When Bo died, Hope was devastated-but is he really gone for good?
1. Chapter 1

_TRUE LOVE NEVER DIES_

 _CHAPTER ONE_

 _Just a little story I started because I have always been a fan of the Bo-Hope storyline. If you like, I will happily continue on Monday evenings. I own none of these characters, or the show. I write strictly for fun._

How had it come to this?

In the span of only twenty-four hours, Hope Brady had been reunited with the love of her life, Bo, only to lose him again to a cruel brain tumor. Her heart was broken as she stood in front of his casket, and she silently wondered how she would ever go on. How her kids would make it without their father.

As she placed a single red rose on top of the casket, the tears fell again…but they were interrupted by a gentle breeze. It felt like a kiss against her skin.

She felt something touch her hand, and her head raised. _Don't give up,_ came the voice only she could hear. _I'm not dead, Don't stop looking for me._

Hope's thoughts were a whirlwind as she gazed around at all the other mourners who had started to walk out of the cemetery. Had anyone else heard that? she wondered. Or was it simply the wishes of a grieving widow who only wanted to keep the love of her life with her forever?

Her teenage daughter, Ciara, and her grown son, Shawn, approached her. "Mom, it's time to go," Shawn said gently as he placed an arm around her mother's quivering shoulders. "You need to eat something."

"I'm fine," Hope insisted. "You kids go on to the pub. I'll be there shortly."

"But, Mom—" Shawn protested.

"Please," Hope said meaningfully. "I need to be alone for a little while first."

Shawn sighed as he realized this was one argument with his headstrong mother he could not win. When Hope got something settled in her mind, it was practically impossible to sway it. "Come on, Ciara," he said to his little sister. "Let's go."

The saddened siblings walked away as Hope stared after them. She could feel their grief. She wanted to badly to comfort them, but she felt helpless. Just as she had lost her one true love, her children had lost a loving father who adored them. This was certainly not going to be an easy loss to overcome.

If they ever were able to overcome it at all.

Hope wearily walked to the park and sat on a bench for the longest time and stared at the newly-planted tree that she and Bo had put down just a few days earlier. The tree was still helpless, hadn't taken root yet; therefore, it would need to be nurtured until it could eventually thrive. Bo had given it to Hope as a symbol of new beginnings…but the beginning had already ended.

"Oh, Brady," she moaned as the tears flowed again, "why did you have to leave me? Why would you give me a tree when you knew you wouldn't be around to help me take care of it? I just don't understand! I'm not that strong!"

"Yes, you are," came a voice. "You're the strongest person I know."

Hope nearly jumped as she saw a familiar figure had come up beside her bench. "Steve," she gasped, "what are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you," her husband's longtime best friend said gently, his face worn from grief and sadness.

Hope stood up. "You shouldn't be," she said with a calmness she didn't feel. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" He eyed her skeptically.

She never could pretend in front of the street-smart Steve. "No," she admitted wearily as she ran a hand through her hair. "Steve, how am I going to make it without him? I miss him so much!"

He stepped over to envelope her in a soothing hug. "I know you do. I do, too."

As they shared the embrace, Hope whispered, "I don't think he's dead."

Steve smiled wistfully. "That's because you're in denial. It's natural to feel that way."

Hope pulled back. "I'm not in denial! I can't explain it, but…but I just feel he needs me to find him and bring him home. Like he's telling me to."

Steve shook his head. "No, Hope!" he said firmly. "You know Bo's not alive…you saw his body! He died in your arms. You have to face this!"

He watched as remnants of the determined, stubborn Hope came to life. Her brown eyes flashed as she said, "If you won't help me, I'll figure it out myself, but I can't let this go. I won't!"

Before Steve could answer, Kayla rushed into the park. Her blue eyes were filled with worry. "My mom's sick," she said. "They're taking her to the hospital—she says she has to talk to you, Hope, now. About Bo! She says it's urgent!"


	2. Chapter 2

_CHAPTER TWO_

As Hope rode to the hospital with Steve and Kayla, Kayla explained what had happened to Carolyn. "Roman said they were on their way to the pub when Mom said she felt very weak and faint. I think it's just the stress of losing Bo, but Roman took her to the hospital as a precaution."

Hope's heart felt heavy for Carolyn Brady, the elderly lady who had just buried her youngest child after years of not knowing where he was. When Bo had returned to Salem, it was as if Carolyn had received a new lease on life. She was looking forward to making up for lost time. The stress of all the "what if's and maybe's" had to be weighing heavily on her mind.

At the hospital, the worried trio found Carolyn's oldest son, Roman, pacing silently. "Roman?" Kayla demanded anxiously as she approached him. "How's Mom?"

"They're running some tests," Roman explained. "All the stress of this is too much for her…I think she should move in with me. I know she's stubborn and independent, but this time, I think she'll have to listen to reason."

"Good luck with that," Kayla said with a sigh.

A half dozen cups of coffee later, the worried family finally got the news they had been waiting for: Carolyn would be ok; as Kayla had predicted, the stress Carolyn had been under had likely caused her dizzy spell and weakness. She was going to be admitted overnight for observation, but her condition didn't appear to be overly dangerous.

"I need to speak to her," Hope said.

"We'll wait for you, then take you home," Steve offered.

"No, that's all right," Hope insisted. "I'll call a cab."

"Are you sure?" Kayla asked.

"Yes. It may be a while."

"All right." Kayla wrapped her former sister-in-law in a close hug. "Call us if you need anything, ok? We'll be right over."

"Thanks. You guys are wonderful."

Once the couple had left, Hope called Shawn and asked him to take Ciara home and wait with her until Hope got there. "I'm not going home right away," Shawn told her. "I'll stay in Salem just as long as you need me to. You don't have to worry about anything. In fact, I'm sorry that I wasn't here all this time you needed me. I really am sorry, Mom."

"Honey, there is no need to apologize for anything," Hope assured him. "Your dad was very proud of you, and so am I. You provide for your family, and you put them first. No one could ever ask for more from you."

She could hear her son sigh heavily. "Thanks, Mom. Knowing you feel that way still doesn't make me feel any less guilty, though."

"I know," Hope said quietly. "I have a lot of guilt myself. I actually thought he had left me, that's why I married someone else. Why would I think that? Bo was always completely devoted to me. There's no way he would have just left me. He loved me too much. I was everything to him— **his family** was everything to him. All he thought about was us. He never gave a thought to his own needs." She felt her eyes beginning to moisten yet again, and she added, "I need to go now, ok? Just look after Ciara for me."

"I will."

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Hope slipped her cell phone inside her purse, then went down to see Bo's mother. Carolyn had finally been admitted to a room, and she looked exhausted. Hope lounged in the doorway for a few moments, wondering what she could possibly say. After several minutes, Carolyn finally opened her eyes and smiled briefly at Hope. "Hope…come in. I need to see you."

Hope approached the bed, then asked, "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah. My son," Carolyn said wearily as she rested her head against the pillow.

Hope frowned. "I don't mean to sound rude, but that's really not very funny."

Carolyn sighed. "It wasn't meant to be funny. Hope…I don't want you to think I'm crazy, but…"

"But what?" Hope demanded. She clasped the older woman's hand as she softened her voice. "You can tell me. I won't make fun of you, and I don't think you're crazy."

Carolyn looked into her eyes as she confided solemnly, "I had another vision…I don't believe Bo is dead."

She expected to see disbelief in Hope's eyes, but the younger woman surprised her by whispering, "I don't believe so, either."

A long pause passed between them before Hope asked, "What did you see?"

"He's cold and hungry…and he's trapped…I feel it with every fiber of my being that he needs us! You have to find him, Hope! Before it's too late! He doesn't have much time."

Hope looked at her fearfully. "How much time does he have?"

"Less than twenty-four hours," Carolyn whispered. "He's been buried alive!"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: This chapter is a little farfetched, but I assure you, it will make more sense as time goes on.**_

 _ **CHAPTER THREE**_

"Buried alive?" Hope gasped in horror. "That can't be true…I mean, I held him in my arms forever, and there was no life in him. This doesn't make any sense at all!"

"You think I don't know that?" Carolyn replied in frustration. "But look where you are; how many things have happened over the years that didn't make sense? Bo has had more life and death situations than anyone, and somehow, I can't see him just closing his eyes and dying. If I believe he's alive and he needs our help—then it must be so."

Hope closed her eyes, then reopened them as her mind tried desperately to process this information…Bo was buried alive? If so, how had it happened? Then an agonizing reality sank it…

"I've got to get to the cemetery!" she shouted.

"You can't do it alone," Carolyn pointed out, but Hope had already run out the door.

A long silence had filled the car as Kayla and Steve left the hospital and headed for home. Neither one knew exactly what to say to comfort the other, for they had both lost someone they cared for deeply: Kayla had lost her little brother and Steve, his absolute best friend in the world. Bo was the person who had brought them together in the first place. It seemed he would always be there. He was like a rock, an icon of sorts.

Finally, Kayla asked a question that seemed so simple, but yet, it wasn't. "What are we going to do?"

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how are we going to get through this?" Kayla asked. "It's like a piece of my heart has been ripped out from inside of me. I don't see how things are ever going to be the same again."

Steve reached out and used his free hand, the one that wasn't on the steering wheel, to grab hers. "They won't, Baby," he said gently. "We both know that. We can't just give up; we have kids and lives. And Bo wouldn't want us to stop living because he's no longer here. He would want—" His voice broke off as a sob tore from his throat. "He would want us to love others as he did. He was always doing something for someone else. That's the way I want to be."

"But you already are," Kayla said gently, touched by the sight of his tears. He was a good man with a tender heart. It was easy to see why he and Bo had been such great friends. Both could be the kindest and most gentle men in the world—until someone messed with their families, then neither would hesitate to do what had to be done. No matter the outcome. "Bo was blessed to have you in his life—and so am I."

She saw the pride in his eyes as he gently kissed her hand. 'You're really something, you know that?"

Before Kayla could answer, Steve's cell phone interrupted her. He grabbed the phone, then said simply, "Yeah?"

He looked at Kayla with concerned eyes, and Kayla instinctively grabbed his arm; she didn't like that look. She had seen it far too many times.

"Hope?" he demanded. "What's wrong? Calm down, I can't understand you…you want us to meet you where?"

Kayla grew more and more puzzled as the call went on. Finally, Steve threw the phone down in frustration, then said anxiously, "Hope wants us to meet her at the cemetery, but she wouldn't tell me why."

The concerned duo had no choice but to rush to the cemetery. When they got there, they found a troubling scene: Hope frantically using a shovel to unearth Bo's freshly-planted grave. Steve raced to her and pulled her into his arms as she shouted, "Hope, what in god's name are you doing? Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Let me go!" she screamed at him. "I have to dig this up, and you have to help me!" She struggled in his arms as he struggled to keep her close, fearful she would someone harm herself. She certainly wasn't acting rationally.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" he demanded. "I can't help you if you don't."

"Bo's alive," Hope snapped. Kayla's hand instantly flew to her mouth in shock.

"Oh, geez," Steve groaned. "Hope, we've been over this—"

"Carolyn saw it, too," Hope insisted. "She said Bo was buried alive and we have less than 24 hours to find him. You know her visions have never been wrong. If you don't help me find him—"

Slowly, Steve released her. "That's your best friend," Hope went on, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. "If there's even a chance he's alive, you'd want to find him. You know it."

Steve still wasn't sure Hope was all there emotionally; nevertheless, he had to try and help her. She was right; he had never known Carolyn's visions to be wrong before. "I brought an extra shovel," Hope went on. "Are you going to help me or not? If not…just stay out of my way."

Without another word, Steve grabbed the shovel began digging up the grave while Kayla kept watch to make sure no one interrupted them. She could picture the headlines in the newspaper: GRIEVING WOMAN GETS ARRESTED FOR DIGGING UP HER LATE FINANCEE'S GRAVE. With all the things Bo and Hope had done together over the years, it wasn't really that hard to believe. Bo had lived to get Hope out of trouble.

For the next hour, the two exhausted people dug up the grave while Kayla held flashlights over them so they could see what they were doing. Finally, they reached the top of the casket. Hope held her breath as Steve demanded, "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes…open it," Hope insisted.

She squeezed her eyes as Steve slowly opened the box. Two seconds later, she heard him gasp, "It can't be…it just can't be."

Fearfully, Hope reopened her eyes and shock filled them what she saw what Steve saw.

The casket was empty. Bo was not there.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: This is a short chapter, but things will start picking up after this.**_

 _ **CHAPTER FOUR**_

"My god," Hope gasped as her hands went to her face in shock. "Carolyn was right."

"Looks that way," Steve muttered.

"How are we ever going to find him now?" Hope asked.

Being the resourceful person he was, Steve was carefully inspecting the inside of the coffin. He pulled the pink lining out, and as he did so, he ran across a vital piece of information. Hidden against the back of the coffin was an envelope. Stuffing it into his pocket, he commanded Hope, "Let's get out of here!"

It took a few tries before Steve was able to get out of the hole, then he helped Hope out. Hope was surprised as he started refilling the grave. "What are you doing?" she demanded angrily. "We don't have time for this!"

"Someone knew we were coming," Steve said, his chest heaving as he quickly tried to make the grave looked as if it had never been touched. "They left a letter for us inside a coffin, so it has to be someone who knows us well and knows we would look. We have to make it appear as if we're not on to them. I'm afraid if they know we're on to them…it will be bad for Bo. We have to act discrete…no one is to know about this, other than Carolyn. Got it?"

Hope nodded anxiously. "Yes."

"I mean it, Hope. No one is to know. Not Shawn, not Ciara. Nobody!"

"I understand."

Steve completed his impromptu work, then the exhausted trio rushed to their vehicle. Hope slid in the back, while Steve hopped in the driver's seat. "Hold that flashlight up, Kayla," Steve said as he ripped upon the envelope. He peered at a single typed page. "What does it say?" Kayla demanded.

 _ **Congratulations. You've completed the first part of the mission. You dug up a grave and found my letter, which no one else would do. Obviously, you have discovered there is no body. Your precious Bo is definitely still alive—for now. Whether he lives is up to you.**_

 _ **This is the first of 24 notes. Each note will leave a clue as to his whereabouts. You have to complete each mission in order to find and rescue him. If you fail to complete them all, he will die—and you will never know where he is. Consider it like a treasure hunt. If you win, you collect the prize. If you lose, you lose everything.**_

 _ **You have 24 hours to complete the mission. You will find the next clue an hour from now.**_

 _ **Good luck. You're going to need it.**_


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

A short time later, Kayla, Steve, and Hope arrived at the Pub. Ciara immediately rushed to hug her mother. "Mom, where have you been? We've been worried about you."

"I…" Hope looked at Kayla and Steve, and recalled Steve's order not to tell anyone what was going on. "I went to the hospital to check on your grandmother. She got a little dizzy, the stress of everything, but she's going to be all right."

Ciara breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. We don't need anymore tragedies, that's for sure."

Hope touched her daughter's cheek. "I second that, Sweetie. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"But how?" Ciara demanded. "With Dad gone…I don't see how anything can ever be fine again."

Hope wanted to reassure her only daughter, but she had to hold her tongue. Hopefully, in 24 hours, their family could be whole again. She was determined this sick soul who had left the note in Bo's casket would not get away with it. And he would pay, and pay dearly.

If it even was a he. It was all so puzzling, Hope didn't know what to think.

Wearily, she sat down at an empty table. "Shawn, why don't you take your sister home?" she asked her son. "I have some things to do."

Shawn eyed her suspiciously. "What things? Mom, you look exhausted. You need to get some sleep. There is nothing that can't wait until later, is there?"

"Shawn Douglas, you know better than to argue with your mother," Hope said.

Shawn chuckled, though it could hardly qualify as laughter. "I'm my father's son, too—and he argued with you better than anybody."

"That he did." Hope sighed as she absently traced her fingertip against the tabletop. As she did so, she felt something underneath the tablecloth. Trying to appear casual, she said to her son, "Just take Ciara home with you tonight, ok? I'm afraid I'm in no shape right now to be any comfort for her, and like you said, you are your father's son. She needs you right now. Please, do this for me."

Shawn still didn't look certain, but he finally relented. "All right. I'll call you in the morning, ok?"

The kids reluctantly kissed their mother goodbye, then left, leaving Hope, Kayla, and Steve alone in the nearly-empty restaurant. As soon as the door closed, Hope ripped off the tablecloth, and saw an envelope taped there.

"He's been here," she gasped.

"What does it say?" Steve demanded as she ripped open the envelope.

 _ **Clue # 1:**_

 _ **Congratulations on finding the first clue; I didn't think it would take you long. You are a police officer, after all, good at seeking out clues and bringing criminals to justice. But I'm afraid you won't catch me, no matter how hard you try. It's the thrill of the hunt that excites you, not the capture itself. Keep that in mind.**_

 _ **Start by going back to the first place you ever kissed your husband. Look in the area where you planted your little tree. I think you'll be surprised by what you see.**_

"The first place I ever kissed my husband," Hope said. "That would be the park…we had some of our happiest moments there. What is this guy trying to do to me?" Angrily, she grabbed a vase off a nearby table and flung it against the window, shattering the glass.

"Wait…there's something else," Kayla said as she took the envelope. Three red tickets emerged, and Hope couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"I will find you, Bo," she whispered. "I don't know who's doing this, but I will find you. Just hang in there."


End file.
